He Gave Up Cigarettes, I Gave Up Us

The justice I longed for never came.

But my mother was right about one thing.

It was me who had insisted on getting married back then, so now I had to accept the consequences.

Still, if I wanted out of this marriage, I would leave—and I would never hand over our assets or the company to anyone.

Daniel Carter adored Sophia Miller so much, didn’t he?

Then how could I not let her have the grand title of Mrs. Carter?

Predictably, Daniel refused to divorce me.

Everyone in our circle knew—no matter how much fun a man had outside, appearances mattered most. As long as he wasn’t divorced, business partners still saw him as reliable and respectable.

Whatever scandals erupted, they would be dismissed as nothing but fleeting affairs.

And so Daniel began to beg me.

In six years of marriage, this was only the third time he had bowed his head.

Had my brain not already been washed clean of foolish love, I might have mistaken it for genuine remorse.

But I knew better. It was just another ploy.

The first time he humbled himself, it was to trick me into handing over my savings. He rose higher while I was left with nothing.

The second time, it was to seize back the company shares he had once given me. In the end, he held absolute power while I was left with empty hands.

And this time? The company had a major deal in progress. Too much money had already been invested; a divorce scandal now would increase the risks.

I was about to lash out in refusal, but at the last second I changed course.

“I’ll agree—but only if you promise me one thing.”

After leaving the hospital with Daniel, I stopped mentioning divorce. Outwardly, I became once again the perfect Mrs. Carter.

Three months later, Daniel and I attended a corporate gala in Manhattan, where we successfully secured a deal crucial to the company.

But back at home, Daniel slipped right back into his arrogant ways, looking down on me:

“Emily, isn’t it better like this? Acting the part of my graceful wife? You really wanted a divorce just because I quit smoking? That was so childish.”

To this day, he still thought I was upset over him quitting cigarettes.

He didn’t know that his ten-year “sacrifice” had nothing to do with me—that I had been forced to endure years of second-hand smoke while he gave up the habit only for Sophia.

I couldn’t even be bothered to argue anymore.

Just like tonight—he thought I had humbled myself to help him secure that deal.

He had no idea this was merely my first step back into the company.

The Carter Corporation had been calm for too long—it was time to turn it upside down.

…

Back in the day, the Carter Family held little weight in New York City. Internal strife was constant, and Daniel had nearly been killed by his illegitimate half-brother.

If not for marrying me, he never would have lived such a stable, prosperous life.

I had paid dearly for my foolish love. Now, it was his turn.

No sooner had the Carter Corporation announced its partnership with the prestigious Harrison Group than news broke of Daniel’s affair with his secretary—and her pregnancy.

The scandal trended online for three full days.

In our circle, nothing was more taboo than illegitimate children. If you couldn’t even manage your household, how could you possibly manage a corporation?

To protect the partnership with Harrison, the board of directors forced Daniel to step down.

Cornered and desperate, he once again lowered himself before me.

This time, in his office, he knelt at my feet:

“Emily, after giving birth, your health was damaged. You can’t have any more children. But the Carter Family’s assets are too vast—how can we have only Ethan?”